Tonight's top show: James Cotton at Mayne Stage

James Cotton: As a boy growing up in Mississippi, Cotton learned to play harp from Sonny Boy Williamson, and later was a key member of Muddy Waters’ tough-as-nails Chicago blues band. Now he’s a band leader in his own right, with a series of solo releases topped by the recent “Cotton Mouth Man” (Alligator), 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mayne Stage, 1328 W. Morse Ave., $35; maynestage.com.